First Love's Cider
by Marvelle Petit
Summary: A series of one shots featuring Arthur and Frey. Update #2: A sweet late night date for the new couple.
1. Chapter 1

First Love's Cider

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At first, he regarded her as a serendipitous opportunity. Everyone already thought of her as the Princess by time he arrived (though Arthur was a male's name, and exactly how they came to think of him as a her was beyond his reasoning) and it gave him the chance to live without the title of Prince looming over his head.

At first, the arrangement was difficult. She knew absolutely nothing about everything. Her skills were abysmal. The butlers helped her out where they could, but every afternoon she always hobbled into his office, covered in sweat and dirt, asking questions about anything and everything.

It was an annoying reminder that he was still a Prince. Not only that, he worried her constant council of him would make the villagers suspect he was really the Prince. He answered everything as much as he could, but it would put him behind every single day as a result. Who knew how long this arrangement could last, especially if Father decided to make an impromptu visit. He would not be happy he discarded his title for personal benefit.

But as the days turned to weeks turned to months, she came by less and less. When he would walk through town he'd see her accompanied by one of the townsfolk, with that ever present smile of hers. If she happened to see him, she'd wave and keep walking. She understood now, the amount of work required for the job, and simply let him be.

But she also did not ignore him entirely.

Around the time she stopped seeing him daily, she began leaving him meals accompanied by a short note. The first one was a small plate of rice balls. Misshapen, crudely assembled, but still tasted delicious. The note read, "I saw your light on late last night. I know you're busy, but don't forget to eat."

And just as everything else, her meals began becoming more elaborate and better prepared. She seemed to rival Porcoline now, if not to others, but at least to him. The small plates and short notes were what he looked forward to each day. Especially since she had a knack for knowing exactly what he loved. The villagers had no privy to this information; it had to be that natural gift that made her friends with everyone.

It was a routine he settled into nicely. Until last night, when she set out a plate of a trio of turnips and disrupted his rhythm. "I looked at your schedule book and noticed you were free at seven. I penciled myself in, so see you then!"

All day nervousness attacked his body. It didn't feel right. She set out his favorite dish, looked into his schedule book, and asked to meet. Normally she wouldn't be formal at all. Did she want to give up her title? Did she want to leave? If she wanted to leave, what would make her stay?

And now he sat in the plush leather seat, staring at the large grandfather clock, watching the seconds tick by until nineteen hundred.

She burst through the door fifteen minutes early.

They looked at each other and awkwardly smiled. "Hey," she said in her cheerful voice, "Umm, it's a beautiful day out."

"It is," he agreed.

Awkward silence. She walked over and sat across from him. She twisted the hem of her dress. Her hands wore the callous of days of hard work. Guilt sank into his stomach. She worked hard for the people and him. How could he ask her to stay after that? Ask her to give more than she already gave? He swallowed a sigh. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

She cringed a bit, then looked straight into his eyes. Hints of pink were in her cheeks. "I love you."

The words hit him like a stack of stones. He blinked several times. She kept her gaze firm, cheeks fully red, and said nothing more. Was she joking? She seemed serious, but to say that abruptly, without any sort of pretense, "That's a cruel joke."

She leaned forward, almost slamming her hands on the table. "I really love you!" The forcefulness of her objection seemed to surprise her. She fell back to the chair and covered her face with embarrassment. "Sorry," she muttered.

His chest tightened. She didn't want to leave, no, the opposite. He took a shaky breath. Arthur the civilian would accept without a second thought. But that was his mask, and Arthur the Prince had several things to worry about, especially when it came to romance. He smiled to reassure her, "Can I think about it tonight?"

Her eyes widened. She nodded. "Y-yeah. Can I stop by tomorrow morning?"

"I'll meet you at the square at ten. Is that alright?"

Her pigtails bounced as she nodded, "Yes!" She rose and nearly dashed out the room, "I'll see you then!"

He stared at the closed door as he tried to calm his racing heart. She was in love with him. He replayed the memory of her words over and over like a broken record. Elation lifted his body as a huge grin spread across his face. Just as the emotion reached its zenith, it crashed down abruptly. A long sigh left his lips as he sank into the plush chair.

What would Father think, first of all? He always assumed he would be married off like every royal before him. Father was more lenient than others, after all, he sent him here without any sort of pomp, yet marrying a commoner would cross the line of tolerance. As much as he hated his birthright, he was the only one in line for the throne, and he could not escape that reality.

She adapted to being a Princess well. In fact, she was a Princess in all but birthright. She won the hearts of the people, she worked hard on their behalf, and she governed them well and fairly. At first, that final part made him nervous, but like everything else, she took to it with a flair of all her own. He could very well pass her off as a Princess until they questioned her background. But she deserved more than that. If he would defy tradition, he would parade her as the perfect example that birthright did not make the person.

He closed his eyes. Seeing that beautiful smile everyday would be a pleasure. He treasured those brief moments they saw each other. Did he not fall for her too, somewhere along the line? When did he start looking forward to her meals and notes? When did his heart surge when she waved at him from afar? Somewhere, he began treasuring her.

Would everyday with her bring the same happiness he felt after she confessed? For the first time in his life, he could describe his emotions as truly happy. That was worth taking a risk. In the land of commerce, there was no reward without a modicum of risk involved. The greater the risk, the greater the reward. They would date, after all, not marry. There was nothing wrong with going on dates, and should they not be right for each other, they would split.

But should she be his perfect match, he would make Father understand. Hedging blindly into the unknown was not his style, but so long as she was by his side, they could make it.

"Yes, I love you too," he whispered.

Tomorrow would bring a new chapter in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Over half a season passed since Arthur said he would be her boyfriend, yet Frey had yet to see him once since then. Sure, it was business as usual, but they had yet to date or spend any time alone. She acted normal, but now as she wrote out a note, her lips pursed into a pout. Would it be selfish of her to say it outright? But he hasn't made any effort to see her!

She tore off the old note and wrote "I want to see you!" in its stead. Satisfied, she left and returned to her chores.

At two in the morning, three knocks interrupted her serum making. She opened the door and peered into a set of baby blues behind a glass lens. Her jaw dropped. He gave a nervous smile and said, "You wanted to see me?"

"Go to bed," she ordered.

He chuckled, "But shouldn't you be in bed too?"

She pursed her lips, "If it's this late then it's time you could be sleeping!"

"I'll be fine, I slept two hours yesterday."

"Arthur," she gasped, "That's what I'm talking about!"

"And when did you last sleep?"

She frowned and said nothing.

He chuckled, "Can you spare a minute or two?"

"Let me finish boiling this first. It's almost done."

He nodded and followed her inside to her workroom. The first shock was how chaotically messy everything looked, but the next shock was how efficiently she moved through it. She controlled and created the typhoon all at the same time. When she poured the last drop into a bottle, she wiped her brow and smiled. "All done."

"It's a little brisk outside, but would you like to take a walk?"

Her eyes widened. "Sure." She paused and mumbled, "Give me a second." She ran to another room and came back a minute later with two mugs of hot chocolate. "I thought it would be nice."

His eyebrows arched. "You're a mind reader," he replied, and pulled out a small bag full of white blobs. "These are marshmallows. It's a new product I'm trying out. The family said they went best with chocolate." He pulled out two and dropped them into the cups. "Shall we?"

The cool air made her shiver. A warm arm around hers made her freeze in shock. Arthur seemed not to notice and squeezed her arm as he led her forward. Neither said a word, and though that created a nervous tension within her, it also felt comfortable, as though they didn't need words to communicate.

"It's always so quiet at night," she mused, "It's like we're the only two here."

He nodded. "I feel the same. How did you like the marshmallows?"

She cringed. She had yet to take a sip. She brought it to her lips and surprisingly, the slightly bitter chocolate turned into something light and sweet. "It's sweet! I like it!"

"It is rather sweet, isn't it? I enjoy it as well. I have a feeling it will be a very popular item with girls."

"Have you given any to Porcoline yet?"

Arthur grimaced. "I have, and we are fortunate I had this bag stashed away otherwise there would be none left." Frey giggled. As they passed by the observatory, Arthur stopped. "Think they left it unlocked?"

"We could see?"

He walked over and opened the door. He smiled and waved her over. "Let's go look at the stars." Frey followed him to the top. "Do you know any constellations?"

"None," she replied with a nervous laugh.

"Then I'll teach you." He held her hand and brought her to the scope. Standing behind her, he placed his chin on her shoulder and put his eye to the scope. The sudden contact startled her. She shuddered as her heartbeat quickened. "Cold," he asked, mistaking her shiver. He wrapped his arm around her tighter, "I'll keep you warm."

He smelled like ink and spice. His fingertips held the remnants of black ink. His hair felt silky against her cheek. And his arms brought a sense of comforting warmth. She melted into him with a soft sigh.

"Look," he whispered, "That star in the center is called Polaris. It always points to the north."

As she gazed through the scope she asked, "Did you have a lot of tutors at the palace?"

He sighed, "Let's not talk about that right now." Noticing her miffed expression, he grimaced. "When I'm with you, I'm happy. When I was in the palace, I wasn't happy. I don't want to bring up those memories with you."

She leaned against his shoulder and nodded. "Sorry for asking."

"You didn't know. Here," he pointed at the sky, "See those stars in a row? Follow them and connect to the stars on the side and above."

She wrinkled her brow, but followed his instructions silently. A part of her didn't want to bother him with her questions, despite his patience and eagerness to teach.

"What does it look like to you?"

The lines curved and flowed outward. She pursed her lips and guessed, "A runey?"

He chuckled, "Precisely. Long ago people saw shapes in the sky. They named those sets of stars after a runey."

As he named more constellations, she settled into his embrace. The warmth felt nice, and her eyelids started to droop as the soft comfort turned her muscles to goo. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Am I boring you?"

She shook her head fervently. "No! This is so comfortable I'm falling asleep." His body stiffened. "Arthur," she asked as she pulled away.

"N-no," he objected, a little too loud to be considered normal. His arms squeezed her tightly and he buried his face into the crook of her neck. "You're so cute I don't know what to do." His voice was muffled and she could barely hear it, but nonetheless, shivers ran down her spine.

"Arthur, I," she began.

He interrupted her by spinning her around to him. He stared into her eyes. The moonlight highlighted his blushed cheeks. He reached up and ran his hand through her hair. "Before I am a Prince, I am a man." He leaned down and kissed her.

The cup of hot chocolate she held dropped to the floor.

He gently released her lips. Their hot breaths turned white in the cold night. He smiled and caressed her cheek. "Don't see me as a Prince anymore. If you want to see me, tell me. I always have time for you."

Unable to process the coursing emotions and sensations through her body, she simply agreed. "Okay."

"Let's clean this up," he said, kneeling down and picking up the chunks of glass. She helped, and as their fingertips brushed against each other, they both jerked their hands away simultaneously. Their eyes met, and both laughed. Arthur picked up the last piece and placed it in his empty cup. "I'll toss the cups when I return home. Let's walk home together."

As they walked back, Arthur took her hand. She smiled to herself and squeezed his hand. They felt soft, smooth, and extraordinarily warm in the cold night.

When they arrived at her door, he sighed. "All too soon, our night together comes to an end. I'd tell you to sleep well, but it seems it's almost morning."

Frey chuckled. "Well, why don't we watch the sunrise together?"

His eyes widened for a split moment, then he smiled warmly. "Good idea."

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a/n: I guess like Berry Kisses, this is a series of slightly connected one shots. Arthur/Frey is actually my third favorite pairing, but he's such a sweetheart that it's a little hard to think of scenarios for them fanfiction wise. In other words, I have no clue how often I will update this, but if anyone has any requests, I'll take them. I've seen Arthur's marriage event and I know my initial setting was off, but whatever~ it's all fun in the end haha


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